The snow did not miss us. It is very beautiful and white this morning. We have a few inches of wet snow sticking on all the trees (my poor blooming daffodils may not recover) and large flakes of snow are still falling. I don't have to drive anywhere today so it is not bothering me. But I'd much rather be at the Poly!

We'll be heading to DTD on our first day and we don't have a car so we'll have to brave the buses. Hopefully it won't be too bad. We never made it to DTD on our last trip. I've never been shopping at DTD before. I did go to PI once way back when I was in college and I don't remember much, except learning to do the macarena there.

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Oh thank goodness the thread is still alive!!! Just when I was finally posting I was worried by that last post - and then whew, there was the new thread!

So it sounds like there is definitely some differing opinions on DTD - but isn't that great that there is so much to do at WDW that we can pick and choose what we want to do???

I personally like DTD and make it a point to go once during each trip. I love to shop and I like to find good deals. While the latter isn't always found at WDW, I can tell you that there are some items you can find everywhere and there are some that you can only find at certain spots. I do like the kitchen store and the huge World of Disney store in DTD. I'm also excited to try out the t-shirt store this year and the new Trend-D. And you can not beat Earl of Sandwich for a delicious, cheap sandwich or Wolfgang Pucks (on the marketplace side) for a fabulous meal at a 'quick service' price! And if you make it in the evenings, you can have some yummy drinks and enjoy any entertainment they have. But I do agree that if you have a very limited time and are deciding over a park or waterpark (which you already paid for), go to the parks.

But if you have that morning or evening free, take that "leisurely - FREE" bus ride, eat something inexpensive and spend a little money on a yummy Nemo cookie at Goofy's candy and check out all the fun things they have (I collect the necklaces and that is all I wear to work - $12 - $20 for subtle disney charm that is close to my heart!)

We just finished cleaning house and all packing is done other than bathroom items. We are getting so excited! Can someone tell us what dole whip is and tonga toast? or what is in them?? We might want to try them.

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I know you've already gotten some responses but I wanted to add that while you definitely want to TRY these, only get one and make sure you really want everyone in your party to get one. The Dole Whip is good and all but I like it better swirled with vanilla. And the Tonga Toast is fine but it was way to sweet - and I love sweets! I was glad when we tried the Tonga Toast, that we got it at Capn Cooks and got some other stuff as well so my family shared a mickey waffle (the best), bacon & eggs, and the tonga toast. That way we got to try the tonga toast but not be committed to it! Of course, you may love it the way a LOT Of people do and want a whole one for yourself!!

Have so much fun - I'm so envious of all of you on this thread that are going in a few days!! I hope mmears is feeling better

It will be my first time staying on site- something I always wanted to do since I drove past the poly in the monorail on our way out from WDW when I was a kid.

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torian - we'll be there at the same time! It will be my second stay at the Poly and that is saying something! I'm always up for trying a new resort but the Poly really can't be beat. It is so nice to be on the monorail and close to the TTC monorail to Epcot. And the afternoon swims can NOT be beat! You'll see me and my family at the pool every afternoon. And oh! The beach in the evenings - let the kids play in the sand and you can sit back and relax (anyone thinking pina colavas right now???)

To Seaspray and all the contributors of the Poly thread, I owe a debt of gratitude. We have stayed at different on site resorts, usually AKL, and though I wanted to try the Poly my husband wasn't keen......that is until I started showing him some of the info and pics on this tread. We are now booked at the Poly for this year's trip.
Thanks!

I confess... it has been many months since my last posting.
But... I am officially jumping back in! My 2nd Poly trip is set for August 30-Sept 6. And I have lots of thinking and planning to do! We booked under last years bounce back program so we do have the free dining.
So my question is this.... tell me everything I have missed in the past 5 months or so...
Seriously though.... looking forward to catching up with all of you, wondering if there are any Poly changes from last year, and very interested to see if anyone is vacationing during the same time as me

I usually "hop" over to DTD when I want to go there, and I try to get there at least once during my stays.

I'll usually take the bus from whatever park I'm at to POR or POFQ, and then hop on the boat to get there. I found it painful to take a bus to DTD from everywhere except from AKL.

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kaffinito,
Sorry this may be a little OT, but can you tell me more about the boatride from POFQ to DTD? It sounds like something we may want to do! I've never been to the PO resorts, so I'm curious as to how often the boats run and how long it should take?

For our upcoming trip I wanted to spend one morning at DHS, and then hop over to DTD for an early dinner at T-Rex. Then I realized there will be no bus to DTD from DHS, and thought we'd have to take a taxi. However, your suggestion of a bus to POFQ and then a boat to DTD sounds like it could be fun!

For those of you in Michigan, I hope the winter storm passes you by. I live in SE WI and they said we were going to get 5-7 inches of snow. We got nothing, nada, zippo, zilch. I will pass along warm thoughts that you have the same luck. We are so sick of winter here too!

Hello and Disney Wishes from another Cheesehead. I live in Oak Creek and yay for no more snow!

As long as you aren't taking in a backpack and filling it up, then you should be fine. We saw a lot of people coming in and grabbing a snack or drink and heading out to the beach or back to their rooms. I wasn't a fan of the concierge's offerings so I didn't take anything with me. Not worth the high amount of money in my opinion.

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We did Club Level at the Yacht Club in October and I really enjoyed it...loved a few glasses of wine each evening!!! But, after looking over the menu of the offerings at Poly CL I don't think I will pursue upgrading to CL if it becomes available (I have been checking daily). I think I will just keep my GV room and use that extra money on other things. We are only going to be there 3 days and I think we are going to do the parks more commando style than when we had more time to enjoy the resort.

Someone was asking about how close the TTC was to the Poly and walking time, I found a pic that I took last week that shows how really close they are. The pic was taken from the monorail ramp at the TTC looking towards the Poly.

and while I am here adding pics, here are two from the patio of room 1506 in Hawaii.

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Back in 2004 we had to ride out a hurricane (Jeanne) at the Poly. We were supposed to board the Disney Magic the next day (Sat) but because of the storm is was not returning to Port Canaveral but to Ft. Lauderdale on Monday, instead of Saturday. We were driving past WDW when I got the call from DCL so we pulled into WDW and I commented to my hubby that if I had to ride out a hurricane I was going to do it at the Poly!!! It was wild the night of the storm...but we felt 100% safe the whole time.

When we arrived off the street with no ressie I wasn't even sure we could even get a room but they had one and they placed us in Tahiti in room 3038...the last room on the third floor closest to the ferry landing.....

We were going to spend the day just hanging around the resort because the storm was due to hit late that night and we had not purchased tickets as we were heading for the cruise but when we saw how empty the ferry was all morning going to MK we decided to purchase a one day ticket and had the best day at the MK...no lines...it was sort of eerie as the sun would disappear and the clouds would start to roll in with increasing winds all day....you could feel the storm approaching...very eerie but exciting too!! They closed the park down earlier than normal but we got a full days worth in.

I only mention all this as at first I thought we were so far away from everything being all the way at the end in Tahiti but it turned out fine. The walk to GCH was not that bad and we were so close to the TTC/ferry landing The view from our room was fantastic (when the storm passed)...looking towards the Magic Kingdom.

Here are some pics...see how empty the ferry was....

Our room was the one you see at the very end (closest to camera) of the building on the third floor.

We pretty much had the ferry to ourselves on the way over....except for some chipmunks.....LOL!!! There was no one behind us on line waiting for the ferry...how weird is that!!!

And lastly, our room number...don't know what happened to all the pics I took of what the Poly looked like after the hurricane...a mess...but within a day all debris was picked up and pool was blue again (turned green from all the debris of the storm). Amazing turn around time getting the resort back to perfect condition....

kaffinito,
Sorry this may be a little OT, but can you tell me more about the boatride from POFQ to DTD? It sounds like something we may want to do! I've never been to the PO resorts, so I'm curious as to how often the boats run and how long it should take?

For our upcoming trip I wanted to spend one morning at DHS, and then hop over to DTD for an early dinner at T-Rex. Then I realized there will be no bus to DTD from DHS, and thought we'd have to take a taxi. However, your suggestion of a bus to POFQ and then a boat to DTD sounds like it could be fun!

ETA: Sorry if I'm interrupting your packing!

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That's ok - I repack a few times a day! Just waiting to leave!

The boat ride to DTD is from POFQ or from POR. The ferries leave every 20 minutes, although in peak times they run more boats. They also have a boat from OKW too. It's a nice relaxing ride to DTD, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the driver, and along the way you get to see some sights and some wildlife. Last summer we saw an otter, a huge snake, and a small alligator. There were some really rare cranes too along the way. The boat passes by the Treehouses and SSR as well.

It's my favorite method of "hopping" to DTD. I'd rather take the bus to POR and then take the boat any day! Then from DTD we take the resort bus "home" (Of course we "have to" stop in at POR's food court to get some chocolate frosted brownies before getting on the boat- they are so good!)

So if you have a free afternoon, and don't mind a little bit of "hopping" then the boat is a nice way to go.

I just have to fine tune how I'm going to spring the surprise on the boys and I'm all set. Still have to pick up note cards to write down the rough schedule and the ADR's and get cash from the bank for the daily envelopes though. I'll try to do that today so I can unpack and repack again.

Thanks for all of the info from julibee and BCV23 on the monorail wait times too! I'm still getting used to the idea that I can hop with a ferry and a monorail to get where I want to go. I'm not at all used to that!

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Your boys will be sooooo excited! How cool! My 14 YO wants to know why she must go to school for the morning...Then again, she is the one that is dying to be picked up from school early to go to WDW! You know how cool it is when you are a kid to be the one going!

We did Club Level at the Yacht Club in October and I really enjoyed it...loved a few glasses of wine each evening!!! But, after looking over the menu of the offerings at Poly CL I don't think I will pursue upgrading to CL if it becomes available (I have been checking daily). I think I will just keep my GV room and use that extra money on other things. We are only going to be there 3 days and I think we are going to do the parks more commando style than when we had more time to enjoy the resort.

MJ

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I debated a ton about switching to CL and I love the offerings, but the GV rooms are truly gorgeous IMHO, grab some wine to keep in the room and enjoy from the beach

kaffinito and mmmears-- you both have me trying to figure out when we can fit in DTD via POR now...that sounds so lovely...